


Sickness and In Health

by thisisonlineright



Series: Alternate Universe Oneshots [1]
Category: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Genre: Angst, Code Milky Green, F/M, Oneshot, Sheldon is sick, Soft Kitty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-10-27
Packaged: 2018-02-22 20:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2520584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisisonlineright/pseuds/thisisonlineright
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He asks why, and she wonders why he cares.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sickness and In Health

**Author's Note:**

> Set somewhere around season five.

"Guys,  _code milky green_!"

Penny scrunches her eyebrows as she hears Leonard frantically running down the stairs.  _Code milky green_? For some reason, she feels like she knows what it means but she just can't remember. Maybe it was some code for one of their games or something. She really doesn't care, what she cares about was getting some coffee.

She quickly crosses the hall, entering what has become her second home; and her eating haven. It was only twelve in the afternoon, and it was a saturday, where were Sheldon and Leonard? It must have something to do with the code milky green thing.

With that thought out of her head, she makes her way to the kitchen and prepares herself a cup of coffee. She doesn't have work today and would really like some relaxation time. She was sure that Leonard, not Sheldon, wouldn't mind her watching tv here all afternoon. Once her coffee is ready, she takes a seat on the couch and turns the tv on. Leonard really won't mind, and to hell with that Whackadoodle.

She glances at Sheldon's sacred spot, contemplating whether or not she should move over there. There was something about the spot that made it comfier than the other seat. Maybe Sheldon was right, it was the perfect spot. Shrugging, she slides over and makes herself comfortable. The Kardashians would help her relax a bit.

"Leonard? Leonard, are you there?"

Instinctively, she slides back to the middle of the couch and turns her head to the hall. She suddenly remembers what code milky green meant.

"Hello, Penny." The pale and comforter bundled Sheldon greets, bringing a tissue to his face and loudly blowing his nose. She cringes at the sound, thinking of ways on how she could leave the building within three minutes. "Sick?"

The physicist stares at her disapprovingly, "does it look like I'm  _not_  sick? Honestly Penny, you have to work on your observational skills." It was great that his nose wasn't as clogged as the last time, he was currently easier to understand.

"Yeah, well that's one thing you should learn with me, Sheldon," she quips, he really is annoying when sick, "shouldn't you be in your bed, trying to get better?"

He walks to the kitchen, taking out the box of tea bags, "and shouldn't you be in your apartment instead of mooching off of us?" She takes her attention away from the television, watching Sheldon make tea. "I'm guessing that you won't be going to the cheesecake factory for soup?"

"Since that incident, I have decided to order soup from Souplantation. The Cheesecake Factory's soup just doesn't hit the spot." He gently dabs the tea bag inside his mug before making his way to his spot. "Change the channel, I don't want to lose more brain cells by watching those inane reality shows that you love so much."

The blonde rolls her eyes, roughly handing him the remote then standing up, "there, I'll just watch tv in my apartment."

"Wait," Sheldon calls once she's halfway to the door, "please stay with me while Amy isn't here. She's coming over sometime around three, and I'd like it if it were someone I considered a friend who would be the one to call the ambulance must circumstances require to do so."

Penny crosses her arms, firmly gripping her mug, "do you promise not to be a giant pain in the ass?"

He nods, seemingly sincere, "I promise not to be a pain in the a-s-s. As a thank you, I shall pay for your lunch." Sheldon picks up the phone, then turns to her, "is a chicken sandwich and soup acceptable?" Penny smiles, returning to the couch.

Free food was always great.

* * *

"So where's Amy at?" Penny asks before taking a bite of her sandwich.

"She's currently at a lecture in Los Angeles," Sheldon answers as he sets his bowl down on the coffee table, "she told me she'd be back sometime around three since the lecture ends at one. The relationship agreement states that she take care of me shall I be sick, and she has agreed to do so."

A relationship agreement. Who would even make something like that? He really was a whackadoodle. She remembers when she had to take care of him a few years back, she had gotten so mad at Leonard for abandoning Sheldon, and for not telling her. He wasn't as annoying when they were sick during valentines, though he was unbearable once he figured out that she had gotten him sick. Sadly, she couldn't just leave since she hadn't gotten groceries at the time and dealing with Sheldon had it's perks.

"Are you also required to take care of Amy when she's sick?"

Sheldon grabs his bowl and her sandwich container, making his way to the kitchen and then disposing them in the trash, "I placed that rule so that she could take care of me, but since I hadn't clarified that, I suppose I am." He pours a glass of orange juice and returns to his spot, "which is why I am confused as to why Leonard left."

"Maybe that's because you're impossible to be with when you're sick," she points out, ignoring the glare he sends her. "I have told you this many times through the years Penny, I'm not impossible, I  _exist_." She shrugs, she figures that Sheldon would never get tired of correcting them. "Yeah, yeah, didn't you promise to not be a pain in the ass?"

"Didn't I buy your presence with food?"

Penny turns to him, grinning playfully at him, "and it was delicious!" He frowns at her as she hakes his head, he always does that. "Penny, it has come to my realization that you honestly do not care if you get sick." She wonders what he was going to rant about now, probably about how she has poor hygiene and that she lives in a pile of dirty laundry. "I don't really care about what you're gonna say but go ahead."

"The probability of you catching my sickness is fairly high, especially how you have chosen to sit beside me. If you can recall the valentines day incident a couple of years ago, I had caught your germs when I hugged you. You have an 87 percent chance of getting sick, Penny."

"That was pretty long if you were just gonna tell me that I'm gonna get sick by sitting beside you," she says, raising an eyebrow up at him. Maybe he got a kick from doing these things, lecturing everyone cause I'm smarter than them-things. He does them a lot, and to pretty much everyone. Now that she thought about it, there  _is_  some kind of glimmer in his eyes whenever he rants or lectures someone. He really does enjoy doing it.

"No, that's not the point," he replies in irritation. "What I was trying to say, before you rudely interrupted me with your idiotic reply, was that, I am very puzzled at how you can deal with that. How do you deal with it?"

"Deal with what?" She questions, she's always confused whenever Sheldon talked. He should reward her whenever she understands whatever the hell he blabbers about. If she had a dollar each time she didn't understand him, she would have enough to pay rent. "Deal with the thought that you could get sick by doing this. I'm sure you are well aware that I fear getting sick-" she waits as he pauses, his face turning paler than before, and, than usual. "Hey, is something wrong?"

He faces her, sending her an accusing look. "It was  _you_!"

"Me?" She asks in confusion.

He haughtily shakes his head as he bolts from the couch, dragging his comforter as he paced in front of her. "The two times I got sick was because of  _you_! The first time was when you got back from Nebraska, when you took care of me! And the second was when I hugged  _you_! Do you see the connection here?" She's confused once again, and simply shakes her head. Another imaginary dollar to her imaginary "Sheldon is confusing" savings account.

" _You're_  always getting me sick," his scowl deepens, "and I wouldn't be shocked if you're the reason why I'm currently sick."

Penny blinks, letting what he said sink in and finally gets it. "Hey! I'm not the reason why you get sick! It's coincidence, yeah, pure coincidence!"

"No, I have enough evidence to prove that, this," he gestures to himself, "is all your fault!" She stares at him, once again dumbfounded- only Sheldon could do that. "I'm the reason why you're crazy?" His eyes widen, "I am  _not_  crazy! my mother had me tested!" She decides that Mary definitely needs to schedule another check up. "Then what are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is that, every single time I get sick, it is caused by  _you_!" She watches him as he continues to pace back and fort, "You're the one who always has some, sort of virus!"

"I don't have  _any_  kind of virus, Sheldon!" She glares at him from the couch, she doesn't get why he's getting so worked up about this. Any sane person would simply drink more vitamins and shut up. "Just drink more vitamins, maybe you'll even get less crazier."

He stops for a moment, then slowly turns to face her, "what I need is medicine that will keep  _your_  germs away from me!" He shrieks, and she calls it as the last straw. "We had a deal that you'd behave for once but free food isn't enough to break it. I'm not even sure why you're so mad, but I've had enough." She stands, and heads towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Sheldon questions, she doesn't like that tone of his.

"Back to my apartment," Penny levels her tone with his. She hopes that he knows that she's irritated, he can really get someone mad within a few minutes. "But you promised to stay!" She pulls the door open and looks over her shoulder, "and you promised to not be a giant pain in the ass." She crosses her arms while he stares at her in confusion, and waits.

The sick physicist opens his mouth to say something, hopefully to apologize, then closes his mouth again. Right before she can slam the door behind her, she hears a thud.

Sheldon fainted.

* * *

"I know that you're not at the university, Leonard, we've been through this before!" She growls through the phone. She calls Leonard to ask about Sheldon, which was a pretty bad mistake since he's obviously not returning to the apartment until Sheldon's better.

"I'm not lying! I  _am_  at the university... just not for the correct reasons. Now I gotta go, good luck!" He hangs up, and she swears that she'll kill him for doing this all over again. For some reason, during the two times she took care of Sheldon, Leonard was gone through both of them. Though, the second time wasn't really his fault.

Penny hisses and shoves her phone in her pocket. She still has about half an hour until Amy gets back, and Sheldon's fever went up when he fainted. She really should have said yes to the time that Amy and Bernadette offered to give her first aid lessons. There might have been some tricks she could use for this exact situation. Taking care of Sheldon, it's something that she always wishes would never happen again.

She stares at his vampire like body on his bed. She hopes that a warm towel on the forehead would do the trick, and hopes that there is no need for another vaporub session. This was supposed to be her "me" day, not, take care of Sheldon part three. Funny how things take a complete total turn. She would probably be a terrible nurse if she ever decides to be one. She'd kick and punch each patient that misbehaved.

"Penny?" She quickly moves to the side of his bed, he finally woke up. He was asleep for over an hour, she was actually nervous. She didn't know why he fainted, and there might have been some serious reason why he did. "Hey sweetie, you're finally awake! How's you're head?"

"I feel groggy, very groggy," he tells her, and she notices that he sounds less sicker than he was earlier. "Do you want soup or something? I can make you some soup if you want."

"No thanks," she takes a seat at the edge of his bed and grabs the thermometer from his end table. She slips it underneath his arm while he talks. "You're in my room, Penny. You're not supposed to be in my room." The blonde sighs as she waits for the thermometer to beep, "unless you're healthy enough to nag me about it, I'm not leaving." The thing beeps, and she's relieved to see that his fever went down a bit.

"Penny?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"You never did answer my question."

"What question?" She has now made about ten dollars for the Sheldon is confusing account.

"Why you still accompany me even though you could get sick."

"I didn't get sick the first time," she answers, admiring the bookshelf of comic books. It must have taken a lot of hard work to complete his collection,  _if_  they were complete. "But you were sick during valentines day."

"I was sick before you got sick, sweetie."

"That is true. What if you get sick after this?"

"Probably not."

"But what if you  _do_  get sick?"

Penny shrugs, she really doesn't care. "Will you take care of me if I get sick?"

"No."

"I'm not gonna get sick," she declares, meeting his gaze. She rarely does get sick, and even when the both of them were sick, she was the one taking care of the two of them. It really wasn't a big problem like it was to  _some_  people.

"Penny?"

"Yep?"

"Please sing soft kitty to me." Ah, the song that is only for one is sick, or on strong pain killers, or homesick, or fell down the stairs. She turns thirty degrees to face him, and sings the song. " _Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur, happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr._ "

He turns to look at her, "even though you don't sing it as well as my mother does, that still made me feel a bit better. Thank you."

Kind of a compliment, so she'll take it. She smiles down at him before standing up, "you're welcome sweetie. You go get some more rest and I'll be outside. If you need something, and don't be too annoying." He nods and she moves to the living room. The Kardashians are still on and she tries to enjoy herself.

Twenty minutes later, Amy arrives, eager to see Sheldon. For no actual reason, she tags along when she heads to his bedroom. He wakes up and greets her and she apologizes for not bring there on time. Once Amy takes a seat on the edge of the bed, she decides to return to her favorite show.

When she hears Amy sing, she decides that it's time for her to leave.

* * *

Four days later, Amy asks her to have a girls night with Bernadette. Penny agrees, especially how desperate Amy sounded over the phone. She's a hundred percent sure that it's Sheldon's fault. She wishes that he, one day, realizes that he'll never find someone who adores him like Amy does.

She decides to fix her apartment since girl's night was going to be held there. The two would probably bring snacks.

Minutes later, she hears three sets of triple knocks, followed by her name. "Who is it?" Penny teases, because she loves getting him riled up. She's pretty sure that he rolled his eyes before replying, "it's me, Sheldon. May I come in?" She shrugs as she picks up a pair of dirty shorts from the floor, maybe she did live in a pile of dirty laundry. She sees him enter her apartment as she places the clothes in the hamper. He's holding something.

"So what's up, Moonpie?" She casually asks, walking out of her bedroom.

"Penny," he starts, and she knows where this is going, "only  _Meemaw_  can call me Moonpie." Sheldon takes a seat on the couch and she heads to her kitchen, she has to get some drinks ready. "Also, the ceiling is up, Penny. So is the fifth floor, the fifth floor apartments, and the rooftop."

Whackadoodle.

"Did you come over here just to annoy me?" Vodka and tequila would be their dates for tonight. He shakes his head then stands up, then proceeds to place an envelope on the counter. "I came here to give you this."

Penny leaves her liquid friends for a moment and picks the envelope up, "and this is?"

"Unbeknownst to Leonard, Raj and Howard, I know what  _code milky green_  means," he gestures to envelope, "open it." She does as told and pulls out a thin stack of papers. "And this is?" Sheldon gives her another look of disappointment, another dollar for her imaginary account, "why don't you read it, Penny?"

"Friendship agreement, paragraph 5, section 4B; milky green clause." She stares at the paperwork, then back up at him, "I don't think I ever signed a friendship agreement."

Sheldon nods, peering down the paperwork from the opposite side of the counter. "You did, when I edited the Penny specific portion of the Roommate Agreement, I made this. You signed it when you got back home from a party you went to."

She frowns at him, "I'm pretty sure I was drunk at the time, that doesn't really count." He waves her hand at her, dismissing her statement. "It's signed, therefore it's authorized by  _you_. Now enough of this banal chit chat and read it." Penny sighs and returns to the paperwork in her hand, "in the event that Sheldon, friend A, is sick, Penny, friend B, is required to do as listed; make him soup, check his temperature, rub vaporub on him, if necessary, and sing soft kitty to him." She looks back up at him and gets irked by the smile on his face, "I know that you enjoy taking care of me, I mean who doesn't? I'm a delight! Plus, I'm willing to look over the fact that you're the main reason why I'm always sick. Aren't you glad?"

Penny shakes her head, placing the document down and moving back to where the drinks were. "Sheldon, this is nice and all, but isn't this included in the  _relationship agreement_  you have with  _Amy_?" She hopes that he would just go away and leave her be. She still needs to clean her bedroom.

"And now  _you_  get the privilege of doing it!" So annoying.

"Look sweetie," she says as she opens her fridge, "this is nice and all but this is  _Amy's_  job, I'm not your personal nurse." He frowns, and does that, what did he call it? Chihuahua face? "But I don't want Amy to take care of me," he says it like a child. He  _does_  dress up like a kid, though. "Sheldon, Amy is your  _girlfriend_ , this is one of the perks of having one, and for you that's Amy. So, just go on and take that with you, cause I'm not agreeing to it."

"But you have to! Amy rubs vaporub the wrong way, and when she goes the right way, my chest hair still matts!"

"Well, you should tell Amy that, not me." Penny shrugs again, Sheldon is just  _so_  shrug-worthy. "Listen, I have to get this place ready for girl's night so you gotta go."

"But Penny! Your soup is better than hers!" He blocks her way as she heads back to her room. "Sheldon,  _you_  made the soup, I just stirred it and poured it in a bowl. Just teach her the recipe, I'm busy." She circles around her sofa and finally gets to her room. Sheldon is still stalking behind her when she places her hamper inside the bathroom.

"You sing soft kitty better than her."

She turns around, he's standing a few steps from her bedroom door. He still has that face and she ignores him. "I'm sure she'll get it eventually." He gives her a look of defeat and nods, "very well then, I guess there is no way to convince you to do so. I shall take my leave, enjoy girl's night." He leaves and she continues to clean up her apartment.

During girl's night, Amy expresses how hurt she was when Sheldon told her that he removed the part of the agreement where she takes care of him. She tells them how she did her best and followed all of his instructions. Bernadette quips on about how Howard takes care of his mother whenever she's sick and gives the neurobiologist advice. Penny's advice is to drink some more then tell Sheldon how she really feels.

Five sets of unwatered down alcohol later, Amy reveals that halfway through soft kitty, Sheldon made her stop singing and simply told her to make him soup. Then when she returned, he told her to never sing it again.

* * *

Six months later, Bernadette delivers her something she's working on at her lab.

She had caught some kind of sickness from one of her co-workers at the Cheesecake Factory and takes the day off. Bernadette gives her the medicine and food that Mrs. Wolowitz gave for her, since Howard was the one who had answered Penny's call. She also assures her that she isnt sick with anything contagious, and just needs to take a day off to rest. The tinier blonde asks if she needs help with anything, she's says no of course, and leaves for work.

Tv and soup were a great remedy for any sickness, especially since American Idol was back again.

Her relaxed trance is broken when she hears the cursed triple knocks. She opts not to open the door and just lets him get tired of knocking. "Penny, I know you're in there, I can hear your Tv." She ignores him and continues to watch the show. Maybe she can get Leonard to bring her back something other than soup. "Ignoring me is not gonna make me leave, Penny, so open the door."

"Please?"

Penny gets up and opens the door and let's him in. Sheldon stares at her, shes pretty sure that he looked worried for a second, she returns to the couch and he doesn't move from the doorway. "You're sick." She isn't sure if it's a question or a statement. Who knows. "Yep."

"Do you want soup? Juice? Vaporub?" He asks, but she still has her focus on the Tv.

"You don't have to take care of me, Sheldon," she says as she takes another spoonful of soup, "I'm fine by myself."

She can see him move near her from the corner of her eye. The faster he leaves, the faster she gets better. "If you read more, you'd know that the milky green clause states that, if you're sick, I am required to take care of you." Sheldon hands her the stupid paper work before and she roughly shoves it back to him. "Look, I didn't agree to it then and I won't agree to it now. I'm sure that it doesn't say anything like that and I know that you only added that clause for yourself." She gives him a look that she hopes that will make him understand that she doesn't want him here. "I can take care of myself so just go back to your apartment and do science or something."

"But the clause-"

"I don't care about that stupid clause!" Penny snaps, glaring up at him. "I don't even care about that  _stupid_  friendship agreement! Listen, I can take care of myself, unlike you who needs someone else to do everything for him! So just leave!" She points towards the door, she's not sure if she's sounded mad enough but she hopes that he leaves.

Sheldon frowns and then crosses his arms, "you signed it, Penny, it is  _authorized_  and will be followed." He takes a step back when she growls in frustration, still firmly clutching on to the paperwork.

"Damn it, Sheldon! I don't  _care_  about that agreement or whatever it is! Now,  _leave_." He sighs and sends her a scowl, "I am not leaving, but I  _will_  accompany you until someone you approve of comes and takes care of you. You've done the same for me, and it's only right for me to do the same." She watches him sit down, and curses the day she ever made friends with him. Defeated, she sits and return to her tv show. "I'm not sure who you're waiting for, but no one's going to come, Sheldon." She can feel him looking at her, "I can wait."

Penny ignores him for an hour and a half. He doesn't try to talk, and neither does she. She has already abandoned her show thirty minutes earlier, and has been thinking of ways to get rid of him. Out of curiosity, she glances at him and realizes that he fell asleep. If she had just stayed in bed instead of watching tv, she wouldn't have had to deal with this.

She wipes her nose with a tissue before moving to the end of the couch. He should really go back to his apartment, he must have something important that he has to do. She reaches out to him, placing a hand on his arm and gently shakes him. "Hey, Doctor Whackadoodle, wake up."

A second later, his eyes open and he nearly falls from the chair. "Danger! Danger!" He stops, breathing heavily then turns to her with wide eyes. "Sheldonopolis was being attacked by King Kong  _and_  Godzilla," she blinks at how relaxed he sounded. "It was an unusual yet  _terrifying_  sight, not even the United Sheldon Forces could stop them." She decides that she needs a new term for him, Whackadoodle just doesn't fit, and he would go ballistic if she called him crazy.

"Listen, you should go back to your apartment," he frowns at her when she says this. Why did she have to get stuck with the stubborn as a rock, crazy, Whackadoodle, she thinks. "I'm feeling much better than I did last night, and probably tomorrow, I'll be back on my feet and ready to spit on your burger."

Then he does something  _very_  unusual, he places the back of his hand on her forehead.

"You still have a fever," Sheldon states while she just stares at him, "a very high fever." He retracts his hand and looks around the room, "do you have a thermometer?" He stares at her, waiting for an answer. "Uh, I have one in the bathroom, but it's okay!" She stands up as he walks to her bedroom, "Sheldon, you really don't have to do this!" She suddenly feels dizzy and sits back down, maybe she wasn't as "good" as she thought.

He returns seconds later and places the thermometer under her arm. "Social protocol states that when one friend is sick, one must take care of them.  _Especially_  if that friend has taken care of you before." It beeps, and then he checks her temperature. "I believe that soup would be appropriate?" He suggests as he strides to the kitchen.

Penny leans against the arm of the couch and rests her head on her arm. Soup  _did_  sound good. "Yeah, there's some in the fridge from Howard's mom," Sheldon opens the fridge and finds the meal Mrs. Wolowitz made. He places the tupperware on the counter and inspects the contents. Brisket, bread rolls and soup. He transfers them on a plate and a bowl and puts them in the microwave to heat. "Would you like some orange juice? I could make you some," he offers, staring at her from behind the counter.

It makes her wonder why Sheldon is doing this. When they were sick during valentines, it took a lot of self control for her to not dump his soup on him. Was it because of the agreement she didn't even sign, and the clause he added? She can smell the soup from her spot and gets hungry. Thinking makes her condition worse, and she settles with allowing Sheldon to slave over her for once.

As she takes her first mouthful of soup, he clears his throat and sings Soft Kitty.

A good half hour later, she's full and contented. It's also a bonus that her fever had gone down, she didn't know whether it was from the medicine Bernadette gave her or the food- she really didn't care.

"Don't you have anything important to do?" She finally asks, breaking the silence between them. He glances at her, bright blue eyes taking her in, "no, I have already finished the proposal I was working on. All I need is to re-read it, then pass it to get the funding I need." Penny nods at him, pretending to know what he's talking about. She knows what the funding is, but if she says something about it, he'll probably retell her the history of physics. She's not taking her chances.

"Wouldn't this leave of absence of yours affect your monthly paycheck?" She realizes that it's the medicine talking since she doesn't find this as offensive as she thinks it should be. "My pay isn't that big to start with," she answers, it  _is_  the truth, "so there's not much to subtract from it. Plus, it's all about the tips. Which reminds me, you guys better add more digits to my tip or I'll start doing nasty things to your orders."

" _Sarcasm_?" He asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, sure," she gives him a smile, and pretends that she wasn't serious about the thing about the tip.

Out of the blue, she decides to ask a totally bizarre question. "Didn't you once tell me that you wouldn't take care of me?" This catches his attention, since he suddenly put his phone away. "Why are you taking care of me now?"

Sheldon purses his lip, he's probably thinking, then tilts his head to the side. "It's part of the friendship agreement," he answers knowingly, causing her to roll her eyes. "And like I said, you have taken care of me several times before."

"No other reason?" She pushes, hoping for something unusual to happen. Penny waits, it's not that she's asking for a miracle, she just wants something  _different_. She waits and waits, while Sheldon furrows his eyebrows in thought. Then there's a normal knock on the door, and she stands up to open it. He wouldn't answer it anyway.

"Hey Penny, is Sheldon there?" Leonard asks in a rush. Penny steps back and swings the door open, revealing Sheldon. Leonard has a look of relief and smiles at her, "I thought he had disappeared! I was supposed to pick him up hours ago but got stuck on something at work and I thought he got ma-" He narrows his eyes and stares at her, "are you sick?" She dismisses him by waving her hand then turns to Sheldon, "hey Whackadoodle, it's time for you to go." The physicist opens his mouth to speak but quickly closes it and stands up, walking past her then to Leonard.

"Thanks for taking care of me, Sheldon," she grins as the two head for the staircase. Sheldon stops, turns and gives her a somewhat amused look, "it  _is_  part of the agreement." Then he leaves, and she tries to forget their conversation.

* * *

It's two weeks later, when Amy calls in another girl's night because Sheldon broke up with her.

She gives him the rant of a lifetime while he just stares at her. She doesn't understand why he just let's her, but he does, and she doesn't stop yelling at him. Leonard and Priya try to calm her down, but she refuses to listen to them.

She doesn't know why she's yelling or why she's even mad at him, but she does, and she is. Maybe because she felt her chest tighten when Amy started crying over Sheldon, maybe it's because of all the pent up anger in her. She's not sure, but she just keeps yelling, yelling until she can feel tears prickling her eyes.

His eyes widen once he notices the tears, and Leonard and Priya both step back when they see it. She sees that Sheldon is shocked and confused on why she's crying, while the two exchange glance to try and understand the situation, and Penny just cries. She cries for two minutes, flips her middle finger at Sheldon then storms out and slams her door shut.

From her bedroom, she can hear him knock but she ignores it. They can talk later.

* * *

They finally have a normal conversation four nights later.

Penny runs out of soap and Sheldon apologizes for whatever he did that made her cry.

She forgives him, wanting for things to go back to normal. He gives her what she wants and tells her a not-so-interesting story about army ants.

* * *

Five months after their breakup, Amy starts to date Zack, and during laundry night , Sheldon remarks that he has never seen her happier than she was now.

He hears Penny sneeze then runs out of the laundry room. Things really are back to normal, she thinks.

As she moves her laundry to the dryer, she hears him re-enter the room. He places two items on the table beside her, a box of tissues and an envelope. She picks the envelope first and raises an eyebrow at the title of the document.

"I want it to be permanent," he sheepishly tells her. "Though I have always refused to admit it, you sing Soft Kitty perfectly." Sheldon furrows his eyebrows and speaks again, "not perfectly, per se, but I find your singing endearing."

She smiles at him, placing a hand on her hip, "you want me to be your  _girlfriend_ , just because you find the way I sing Soft Kitty,  _endearing_?"

Sheldon shakes his head and places a load of laundry into the washer. "Not really," he turns and smiles at her, "but it  _is_  one of the perks."

He never answers her question from way back, she's sure he remembers, but she decides that she no longer cares.


End file.
